2B, or not 2B
by Vol lady
Summary: A brief and somewhat silly misadventure into someone else's marriage. On a business trip, Jarrod ends up in the midst of the crazy mess between his friend(?) Nat Springer, his wife Emily – and the other woman.
1. Chapter 1

2B, or not 2B

Chapter 1

"Ooops, sorry – "

Jarrod closed the door in a hurry and checked the number on it to make sure even though his key had just opened the lock to what was supposed to be his hotel room in Cedar Grove, a town in the mountains east of Placerville. He was here for a contract negotiation for the sale of some equipment from one of the mines the Barkleys owned but which had been played out. There was enough work at an adjacent mine to keep the miners employed, but certain equipment would not be needed anymore and another mining company wanted it.

But what Jarrod wanted right now was a bed and a quick nap before dinner, the bed waiting for him in the room assigned to him – 2B. The trouble was, there was already someone in that bed, two someones in fact. Jarrod hadn't even gotten a look at them, except as moving lumps under the covers, before he shut the door fast and rechecked the number on the door. Yes, it was 2B, which was supposed to be his room.

Jarrod hustled back downstairs with his saddlebags. He had ridden here by horseback from Stockton because he had two other stops to make on the trip, and they were not on train or stage lines even though Cedar Grove was. He was tired and the last thing he wanted was what he had found in 2B. He headed downstairs to get another room.

"Well, that can't be right," the desk clerk said. "That room is supposed to be empty."

"Let's just say it's in use," Jarrod said. "Just give me another one."

"I'm afraid we don't have another one available. We're full up."

"Then hustle up there, get whoever those people are out of there, have the maid remake the room and by all means get me clean sheets and towels!" Jarrod said.

Jarrod sat himself down in a chair in the lobby while the desk clerk hurried upstairs. While he was waiting, he saw a young woman hurry down the stairs and out the door, and a few minutes later a man in a business suit came down. A man Jarrod recognized. A man who spotted him and stopped dead at the bottom of the stairs. It took a moment for his mouth to close, but it did.

Jarrod stood up and approached him, his hand out, a grin on his face. "Nat. It's been a while."

Nat Springer shook Jarrod's hand. "Indeed it has. What are you doing in Cedar Grove?"

"Selling some mining equipment. How about you?"

Springer laughed a little nervously. "Believe it or not, I own this hotel."

Jarrod's eyebrows went up. "You own a hotel this far from San Francisco? How in the world did you come to do that?"

"I won it for a client in a contract dispute, and then when he couldn't pay me cash, I took my share out of this establishment. We formed a partnership, and then the man up and died and I ended up with the hotel. Are you staying here?"

Jarrod understood what was happening here. "Yes, but my room was accidentally occupied so they're getting it ready for me after they evict the squatters. I would have thought you'd have your own rooms here if it's your hotel, Nat."

Springer laughed nervously. "So that was you at the door."

"That was me at the door," Jarrod confirmed. "I take it your wife isn't with you."

"No, she's not, and I trust you will be discreet."

Jarrod raised his hands in a "stop" signal. "I have no idea who I saw in 2B."

"Consider your room and meals while you're here to be on my dime, old friend," Springer said.

"Why are you here, anyway, Nat?" Jarrod asked. "I mean, I'm sure it wasn't just for …". He left the rest unsaid.

"No, no," Springer said. "I'm actually here to talk to one of the local businessmen about buying the hotel from me. It's a bit far from home and I really don't need a hotel in my portfolio anyway. When my partner was alive, I just let him run it and took my share, but now that I actually have to look after the thing – well, what you didn't see in 2B is about the only enjoyment I get out of the place. Don't want to buy a hotel, do you?"

"No, no," Jarrod echoed. "I don't need a hotel in my portfolio either."

"How long will you be in town?" Springer asked.

"Only a day or two," Jarrod said. "I'm hoping to finish my business tomorrow and head out the day after. I have a couple more stops to make on the way home. You?"

"Hard to say. We started negotiations today, but they could go on for days or they could be over by tomorrow morning. It depends on whether - " He looked over at the desk, saw the clerk was missing and said in a low voice, "It depends on a lot of things, including how fast I can fire that desk clerk that's on duty here, believe it or not."

"What?" Jarrod asked with a laugh.

"The man I'm talking to wants this guy out. He doesn't trust him. He thinks – " Springer stopped, then smiled sheepishly. "He thinks the guy is doing some business for himself out of here, and he's right, I'm sure. I can't finger him for getting me the young lady you saw leave – I'm afraid I'm responsible for that – but there's some money changing hands under the desk, shall we say. I think the desk clerk has a couple side businesses going."

"Why don't you fire him right now?"

"I need him for the night shift. He doesn't know it, but he'll be gone in the morning and that ought to loosen up my negotiations on the sale of the place. Have you had dinner yet?"

"No, actually, I just got here."

"Well, they should have your room ready in just a few minutes. Why don't you meet me for dinner in the dining room at about seven? This is the best place in town."

"I'll be happy to have dinner with you," Jarrod said. "We can talk about almost anything other than what I didn't see in room 2B."

Springer put a hand on Jarrod's shoulder. "You're my kind of old school chum, Jarrod."

XXXXXXX

Jarrod and Springer had a long, relaxing dinner and talked about everything except what Springer was doing in 2B before Jarrod arrived. They talked about their families, they talked about why they were in Cedar Grove, they talked about cases they were involved in, and at about nine-thirty they broke it up and left the dining room.

"Exactly where are you staying, Nat?" Jarrod asked.

"At the home of the man I'm talking to about buying the hotel," Springer says. "Name's Johnson – he lives in a big place at the edge of town. I'm hoping to get some discussions going over brandy tonight."

They arrived at the foot of the stairs, and Jarrod offered his hand. "Well, here's hoping you get a good deal and get it fast."

"You, too," Springer said.

They shook hands and parted company, Jarrod heading upstairs and Springer out the front door of the hotel. Jarrod spent an hour or so going over the contract he was proposing for the sale of the mining equipment before settling down with a book and then turning in. He slept well – as long as he didn't think about what had gone on in this bed before he got here – and he slept in for a bit in the morning. He wasn't due to meet the man buying the equipment at the mine until eleven o'clock, and it would take less than an hour to get there.

So, Jarrod had a leisurely breakfast on Nat Springer's dime, then gathered up to return to his room and pick up his things to head out to the mine. As he headed out the front door of the hotel to get his horse at the livery stable, he met a shock coming in – Emily Springer, Nat's wife.

"Emily!" Jarrod cried. "I didn't know you were here in town!" And then he was a bit stuck, given what had happened the day before and Nat saying she wasn't with him.

"Have you seen my husband, Jarrod?" Emily said. She looked very grim.

"Yesterday, not today," Jarrod said.

"And was he alone?"

Jarrod could honestly say, "Yes, when I saw him, he was alone. But I don't know where he is now. He said he was in town to sell this hotel."

"So he said," Emily said. "Is he staying here?"

"He told me he was staying with the man he's negotiating with."

"Johnson?"

"That was the name."

"Do you know where this man lives?"

"No, I don't."

"Thank you, Jarrod," Emily said, turned on her heel and walked away. Jarrod saw her heading for the sheriff's office.

Jarrod took a deep breath and thanked his lucky stars that was over. He had been honest with Emily – even if he crossed his fingers on whether Nat was alone. But Jarrod had no desire to get into the middle of the Springer marriage. He hurried on to the livery to get his horse and rode out to the mine wondering if Springer was going to be able to conclude the sale of his hotel before his wife caught up to him.

Regardless of how well Springer's negotiations were going, Jarrod's were testy. He met the man he was selling to at the mine. They talked a lot. They haggled on prices and delivery methods and who would bear what cost. It took the better part of the day just to get all of the equipment listed and they still had to work out delivery details. The man he was negotiating with seemed to want to haggle everything to his, sometimes unfair, advantage. Not one to be taken happily, Jarrod stayed firm on some of his prices and other terms. At the end of a long day, Jarrod suggested they meet again in the morning, as the sun went down and they parted company.

Tired and headachy, Jarrod headed back to Cedar Grove and stabled his horse again. It was clear he wouldn't be out of town the next day, so he planned to extend his stay at the hotel one more day. He found a different desk clerk on duty when he got there, and when he requested the room for an additional night, the clerk said, "You realize the hotel has been sold."

"I knew Mr. Springer was working on it," Jarrod said. "Does that make a difference?"

"Not if you're only staying one more night. The rumor is the hotel will be closed on Friday. Just a rumor, but you know, sometimes they come true."

"Closed for renovations?" Jarrod asked.

"No one knows, but we're the only hotel in town and folks aren't too happy about it, especially those of us who work here. There aren't a lot of jobs in Cedar Grove."

"Maybe the buyer will end up hiring more people in the long run."

"I don't know. The night clerk was fired first thing this morning. I suspect I might be let go at the end of my shift – which is in about half an hour."

With his inside information about the night clerk, Jarrod wasn't surprised to hear he'd been sacked. "Well, I hope not. Whatever happens, I wish you luck, and I expect to be out of here on Thursday."

Jarrod trudged up the stairs to his room, checked to be sure it was 2B, checked to be sure there was no one in there. It was fine. He went in, crashed on the bed for about five minutes, then cleaned up and went downstairs to dinner.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

A disruption started when Jarrod was about halfway through dinner. People suddenly started coming in, speaking to others, and before long people were getting up and going out. Something was going on outside.

Jarrod stayed where he was, finishing his meal, but soon he was almost alone. When the waiter brought him the check – marked "complimentary" thanks to Springer – Jarrod left a tip and then headed out to see what was going on.

It was finishing up by the time Jarrod got there and people were starting to disperse. There was enough street light to see that two people had been arguing loudly in the street, a man and woman – Nat and Emily Springer. The sheriff and deputy were taking them both away.

Now Jarrod faced a dilemma. Should he follow and see if there was something he could do about this as a lawyer? Seeing Nat locked up wasn't something that Jarrod was particularly worried about, but Emily was another matter. There was always the chance in a "he said – she said" argument that it was the woman who would bear the blame, not the man, just because men always had the privilege of being presumed truthful. Jarrod only gave it a moment before he followed the Springers and the law to the jail.

The sheriff hadn't moved to lock the couple up before Jarrod came in, and the Springers were not yelling at each other anymore, but the sheriff looked like he wanted do some screaming. He glared at Jarrod. "What do you want?"

Jarrod handed over one of his business cards, then tried a disarming smile toward everyone. "I'm a friend of the family, Sheriff," he said. "I came to see if I could help the Springers sort this out a little more peacefully. Are you going to arrest anyone?"

"Not if they start acting like reasonable people," the sheriff said.

"Is there someplace the three of us can talk?" Jarrod asked as the Springers refused to look at each other.

"The hotel, but I sold it today," Springer said.

"Settled yet?"

"We'll sign the contract and settle tomorrow," Springer said.

"Then why don't we go on over there?" Jarrod suggested. "Do you have any kind of gathering room there?"

"No, just the restaurant and it'll be busy."

"I guess we'll have to use my room," Jarrod said, leveling a firm gaze at Springer, knowing they'd be using the room Springer and his lady friend used and that's what this was all about, but maybe Emily didn't know about 2B.

Springer said, "We can find an empty room, I'm sure." He did not want to use 2B.

Jarrod gave a nod. "Sheriff, with your permission – "

"Get out of here," the sheriff said, "but the minute I hear about any ruckus, I'm hauling you all right back here."

"No ruckus, Sheriff," Jarrod said. "I'm sure the Springers will act civilly toward one another once we get to the hotel."

Jarrod eyed Springer again, sending a not too subtle message that he could spill the beans about Springer's activities in 2B and Springer had better behave himself.

Emily wasn't looking at them and was too livid to be getting any messages anyway. Jarrod escorted the warring couple over to the hotel, drawing all kinds of attention as he herded them up to the desk.

Springer said to the clerk, "I need an empty room to have a discussion with my wife and my lawyer."

The desk clerk came up with a key. "3B is empty, Mr. Springer."

Springer took the key, and Jarrod herded his "clients" up the stairs. As they passed 2B, Springer gave it a look, gave Jarrod a look. Jarrod gave him a warning smile.

Springer unlocked the door to 3B, and they went in. Springer tossed the key onto the dresser, then sat down in one of the chairs before his wife sat down. She glared at him. Jarrod pulled up a chair for her, saying, "All right. You two have something to work out and you'd better do it peacefully or you're going to be back over in jail. Now, I'm not a priest, but I am a lawyer with a lot of experience mediating issues between spouses who are not getting along, so I suggest you just follow my lead. Emily, why don't you go first? What is this about?"

"Sarah Essen," was all Emily said, glaring at her husband.

Jarrod waited. No more was coming. "Who is Sarah Essen?" And he looked at Springer. Jarrod had a feeling he already knew who Sarah Essen was.

Springer said, "No one as important as Emily thinks she is."

"Then why do you come here so often to check on your hotel?" Emily asked. "Once a month at least, and do you think I don't know you've been meeting this Sarah Essen here every time?"

"What makes you think that, Emily?" Jarrod asked.

"I got a wire from someone," Emily said.

"Who?" Jarrod asked.

"It wasn't signed," Emily said. "So I came to see for myself, and I asked one of the clerks and he told me what's been going on."

The clerk who had been fired, no doubt, Jarrod thought. Payback. "What about it, Nat?" Jarrod asked. "Do you have anything to say?"

Springer said, "You're going to listen to a clerk?"

"In this case, yes, I am," Emily said.

Jarrod struggled with whether to say anything about what he personally knew. He looked hard at Springer, who looked back at him. Jarrod was just about to say, _Maybe you should tell Emily everything_, when Springer got the message from those blue eyes that could speak volumes without saying a word.

"All right," Springer said. "I admit it. I've been seeing a woman here named Sarah Essen."

Emily deflated, as if she didn't really want to hear it was true.

But Springer fessed up. "We've been meeting in room 2B. Even Jarrod walked in on us last night, although he didn't see it was us."

"Why?" Emily pleaded. "Haven't I been good for you? Haven't I supported your career and been faithful to you and gone with you to all the functions you've needed me to and DAMMIT, NAT!"

"You're right!" Springer said. "I'm a heel. I met Sarah here and I started being with her while I was here." But then he perked up. "And one of the reasons I've sold this hotel was so that I wouldn't come back here and be tempted anymore!"

Emily rolled her eyes and slumped back in her chair.

Jarrod was having trouble swallowing that line, too. It sounded like Springer had just grabbed it out of thin air. But he said, "So you won't be coming back here anymore, and you won't be seeing this Sarah Essen anymore."

"No," Springer said.

"And how many other Sarah Essens have there been, Nat?" Emily asked. "How many other regular business stops do you make for this kind of business?"

Springer said, "None."

"I don't believe you," Emily said. Then she looked straight at Jarrod. "Jarrod, I want a divorce and I want you to represent me."

"Emily, under the circumstances, I can't do that but I can help you find a good attorney to represent you in that's if you want. But let's just calm down first," Jarrod said. "That's a very big decision, and you might just want to consult a priest or a minister back home before you decide to break your marriage up."

"I haven't broken it up!" Emily said. "He has!"

"Nevertheless," Jarrod said. "It's a big decision. Nat, were you going to head home soon?"

"Tomorrow, after we settle on the hotel," Springer said.

"Under the circumstances, I don't recommend you travel together," Jarrod said.

"If I leave tonight, he'll be back in Sarah Essen's arms before I'm on the train," Emily said.

"If you're going to divorce me, it won't make much difference, will it?" Springer said.

Emily started to come up out of her chair to throttle him.

Jarrod saw it coming and grabbed her. "Emily, come on, calm down or the sheriff will be back over here and you don't want to get locked up for assault. Come on, sit down."

Jarrod got Emily to sit back down again, but she was fuming.

Jarrod heaved a sigh and said, "I've known the both of you for years. I'd hate to see you throw yourselves into this kind of dispute without at least trying to salvage your life together. Marriage isn't just a sacred relationship – it's the most sacred relationship two people can have. You didn't enter into it lightly, and you shouldn't throw it away lightly." He heaved another sigh.

"I really recommend you go home tonight, Emily, and talk to your priest or minister or whoever your spiritual advisor is tomorrow. Pave the way for Nat coming home tomorrow and talk this out with someone and be very, very sure you can't salvage some happiness out of your life together before you end it. Please."

Emily considered it, and Jarrod could tell by the way she looked at him and at Nat that she felt like they had both deserted her. She looked like she believed there were no friends for her in this room. She stood up, said, "I'm leaving," and walked out.

Springer sighed after the door closed. "Thanks, Jarrod."

"Don't you thank me," Jarrod growled, his eyes turning black and angry.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Springer looked shocked.

"I just hurt a woman who didn't deserve it," Jarrod said. "She was looking for sympathy and support and it sure wasn't going to come from you, and under the circumstances if I was gonna mediate between the two of you, it couldn't come from me either. Nat, I'm done with you. You clean up your own life, and if you can't do it, then you live with the consequences. If she gets a divorce, she can take you for all you're worth, and I just wish I could help her do it."

Jarrod walked out, and went after Emily to try to make up for what part he had just played in hurting her. His part as mediator was over now, and even if he couldn't be her lawyer because of his history with Nat, he could at least give her the name of a good attorney. But he couldn't find her. He couldn't see her on the street and he had no idea where she might have gone.

He tried the sheriff's office, but the sheriff said, "I haven't seen her and I don't want to."

Jarrod suddenly thought of something, and an alarm went off. "Do you know this Sarah Essen? Do you know where she lives?"

The sheriff gave him an address, "But you don't often find her there. She is the town – well, she gets around, especially after dark. You don't think Springer's wife has gone after her, do you?"

"I don't know," Jarrod said. "I just know I tried talking to Nat and Emily and it didn't go well and now I can't find Emily."

"Do you represent either one of them?"

"No, I'm just a friend."

"Then I suggest you stop being a friend and just stay out of the way. If Springer's wife has gone after Sarah Essen, I'll find out about it soon enough and I'll handle it."

Jarrod didn't like that. "I don't want to see Emily get into any real trouble over this."

"I'm sure she won't. There might be some hair pulling and screaming, but I don't think anybody will really get hurt."

Jarrod thought for a moment, but then said, "I think I'll try this Sarah Essen's place anyway. Maybe I can stop the hair pulling and screaming before it starts." _Or anything worse_, he thought.

Jarrod found his way to Sarah Essen's address, a flat above a noisy, seedy saloon. He climbed the stairs and knocked – and the woman he had seen at the hotel answered.

"Yes?" she said.

He could tell she was looking at him as a potential customer, probably the only types of people who ever knocked at her door, especially at night. But before he could say anything, another voice inside the room said, "Wait a minute, I know him."

And suddenly there was Emily Springer standing beside Sarah Essen. There was no sign there had been any hair pulling, any blows landed, not even any animosity. Jarrod was utterly confused.

"What do you want?" Emily asked.

"I was looking for you," Jarrod said. "I wanted to make sure you were all right, and it looks like you are."

"I'm fine," Emily said. "Go back and take care of Nat."

"Well, I told Nat I was through with him and he could find his own way through his marriage with you," Jarrod said. "Really, Emily, all I wanted was to give you the name of a good lawyer."

"So give it to me."

Jarrod gave her a name.

"All right," she said. "Anything else?"

They were giving him the bum's rush and he knew it. He had done what he wanted to do, and he shut off his curiosity about what they were up to together. None of this was any of his business anymore.

"No, nothing," he said and tipped his hat. "Good-bye. Good luck."

He headed back down the stairs and heard the door close behind him. Once at the bottom, he stopped, took a deep breath, and let it out slowly. There were half a dozen things he could think of that they were up to up there together, none of which he wanted any part of at all.

He went back to his hotel room and locked himself inside. A bit of brandy would have been a nice nightcap, but he did not want to be anywhere that he might run into Nat or Emily, so he passed on the notion. He took his jacket and tie off, gave a glance through his notes from the business meeting he'd had earlier in the day, gave some thought about how his negotiations would go tomorrow – and then there was a knock at the door.

He sighed miserably. "Who is it?" he asked.

"Emily," her voice came.

_Great. Here she is back in my life and at the door of the room where her husband was always enjoying himself with Sarah Essen._

When he didn't answer right away, she said, "I just want a minute of your time, Jarrod. I want to explain something."

Jarrod heaved a sigh and opened the door. He suddenly thought it was not a good idea to have a woman being seen entering 2B. God alone knew how many people were aware of what it was at least occasionally used for. But he ushered Emily in and closed the door behind her. "Go ahead," Jarrod said.

"I suppose you're wondering why I was in Sarah Essen's room," Emily said.

Jarrod held his hands up to stop her. "Emily, I don't want to know anything about this."

"Jarrod, I am going to head home on the train tonight, and I am going to sue Nat for divorce. I was just lining up Sarah as a witness for me," Emily said.

_Sarah_, Jarrod thought. _They're on a first name basis_. But he said, "Emily, I said I don't want to know anything about this and I meant it."

"I just didn't want you to get the wrong idea about the kind of woman I am," Emily said.

"I have no idea whatsoever," Jarrod said and moved to open the door again.

"Please, Jarrod," Emily said. "We've known each other a long time. Don't let what's happening between me and Nat get between you and me."

Now Jarrod was really getting to be nervous, because she moved toward him a bit and he was afraid she might actually come onto him for one reason or another. He opened the door. "Emily, you need to leave."

And there, in the hallway, passing by 2B and planning to spend the night in 3B, was Nat Springer. He stopped when he saw his wife coming out of his friend Jarrod Barkley's room, and saw Jarrod out of his jacket and tie. He got an ugly look on his face.

_Oh, God, no_, Jarrod thought. "Nat, this isn't what you think it is. She hasn't been here thirty seconds."

"There's nothing going on between me and Jarrod, Nat," Emily said.

"Then what are you doing in his room?" Nat asked.

"Explaining," Emily said. "Trying to explain to him what's happening."

"And I've been explaining that I don't care!" Jarrod said. "I was just asking Emily to leave and to leave me out of your marital problems, and now I'm asking you both to just go away!"

Jarrod took Emily by the elbow and gave her a soft push out the door, which he then closed and very loudly locked behind her. If they hadn't heard that, he was sure they heard him fall back against the door and give a loud grunt of frustration. He did not intend to open this door again before morning. Right now, 2B was his fortress, and it was going to stay that way while he got a good night's sleep.

XXXXX

At least in the morning he didn't see either one of them before he headed off to continue discussing the sale of the mining equipment, and at least those discussions went smoothly and concluded with a contract. Jarrod left the mine, done with everything he had come here to do, and he planned to get back to Cedar Grove. It was getting late, and he wanted to get off to an early start in the morning.

He put his horse up at the livery in Cedar Grove again and headed for the hotel, thinking that by now both of the Springers were back in San Francisco and out of his hair, but he was in for a surprise. When he went into the hotel and got his room key, he got a glance into the restaurant – and did a double take.

There they all were – Nat Springer, Emily Springer, and Sarah Essen. All sitting together at a table, talking, even smiling. Jarrod nearly dropped his work papers all over the hotel lobby.

"What?!" he actually said out loud.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Nobody but the desk clerk heard Jarrod's exclamation. He looked up for a moment and then went back to what he was doing. Jarrod hesitated there in the lobby, not sure whether to go into the restaurant and find out what was going on or run up to his room and lock the door behind him again. What he saw in front of him was completely beyond belief.

Emily Springer was supposed to have gone home last night. Nat Springer was supposed to have gone home today. And certainly Sarah Essen was NOT supposed to be sitting there having dinner with the both of them.

Jarrod decided fast that he wanted absolutely no part of this insanity, and he turned to head up to his room, but he was walking in a daze. Before he got to the stairs, he heard Nat's voice behind him. "Jarrod!"

Jarrod stopped. Springer was coming toward him. Jarrod held his hands up. "No, I don't know what's going on but I don't want any part of it. Just turn around and go back in there to your – women. I don't know what you're up to, I don't want to know, I just want you to leave me out of it."

Jarrod turned to head upstairs but Springer took his arm and stopped him. "I know this looks crazy, but – "

"Crazy?!" Jarrod said. "Have all three of you lost your minds? Do you want to make me crazy too, because you're doing a whale of a good job of it!"

"Will you just let me explain?!"

"NO!"

Springer kept hold of him. "Jarrod, we've made peace. All of us. Emily and I are leaving on the late train."

"Next you'll tell me Sarah Essen is going with you," Jarrod said.

"No, no," Springer said. "She's staying right here. She's Johnson's partner in this hotel now."

"What?!"

"She bought the hotel! We settled today! Who would have thought she'd have done so well as a – well, she had enough money to put into this place with Johnson – turns out he was a friend of hers too, if you know what I mean – anyway, Emily and I have talked it out and worked it out and now we're just giving Sarah some details about this place – she's going to move into room 2B, by the way."

"No!" Jarrod said. "Nat, I don't want to hear it! This has all been crazy and I'm glad if you've sorted it out, but I don't want to be involved in any way anymore! Go settle everything with your wife and your - friend, but leave me out of it, and for God's sake, stay away from room 2B until I'm gone in the morning! And I don't want to hear any fun going on in 3B either!"

Jarrod was out of breath after his rant and he just wanted to get away from Nat Springer forever. He turned and headed upstairs, and almost choked on the laugh he felt come over him when Springer called after him, sincerely, "Thanks for you help, Jarrod!"

Jarrod got up to his room, let himself in, and locked the door. He put his papers down, shed his tie and jacket and wondered what he was going to do for food, because he sure wasn't going down to the restaurant or even leaving this room. He decided to just go hungry and make it all up at breakfast. He flopped on the bed and stared at the ceiling.

But everything that had happened made such little sense that it kept rolling through his mind, trying to straighten itself out. Not that he was sorry peace had descended on the Springer marriage and even with Sarah Essen. He was happy about that, but completely baffled. They must have had one heckuva day, the three of them, to have sorted it all out by dinnertime, but how the heck did they do it? Emily had been ready to kill Nat over Sarah, and now they were all smiles in the restaurant? That was crazy!

Jarrod fell asleep despite himself. He had absurd dreams, dreams about strange women fighting in the street while Nat Springer cheered them on from the sidelines. Dreams about Emily bashing him – Jarrod – over the head repeatedly with divorce papers. Even dreams about Sarah Essen wandering around the hotel and visiting every single room, including 2B while he was occupying it. He woke up fast from that one, the moment the door opened in his dream and Sarah Essen was there.

Jarrod moaned and checked his watch. It was still dark, but edging on toward five o'clock. Jarrod sat up, lit the bedside lamp, saw he was still dressed and realized for the first time that he had fallen asleep and slept through the night. For a moment he thought all the tumult in the days before between the Springers had just been another part of his insane dreams, but then he realized that it had really happened. Every crazy bit of it had been real.

He cleaned up, shaved, dressed in his trail clothes and carefully folded and packed his suit into his saddlebags. He wouldn't need the suit again on this trip. He'd have it cleaned and pressed when he got home. From here he was only going to a meeting with a cattleman to finalize a contract for cattle Nick wanted him to take care of, then to another ranch to check out some horses Nick had heard about but didn't have time to look into. Then he'd go home. Then life would get normal again.

But not yet.

By the time Jarrod was finished cleaning up and dressing, the restaurant was open for breakfast. He went down, taking his saddlebags with him, and checked out, leaving 2B behind forever. But not leaving everything behind.

He was the first customer in the restaurant, but there was Sarah Essen, talking to two waitresses in the back of the room. Jarrod nearly left, half afraid the Springers were going to come out of the woodwork, but Sarah turned and saw him. She came over to him right away, and he was too much a gentleman to turn and walk away from her.

"Mr. Barkley," she said. "Please, come in, sit down, breakfast is on me."

Jarrod gave in. Sarah pointed him to a table with four chairs. He left his saddlebags in one, sat down in another, and before Sarah finished sitting down across from him, a waitress was pouring coffee into a cup in front of him. He ordered ham and eggs.

"Nat and Emily and I had some pretty blunt conversation yesterday, and I know how caught up you got in our little drama," Sarah started.

Jarrod held his hand up. "Miss Essen, I really don't want to know."

"Just know that Nat and I are through," she said. "We'll never see each other again, and he and Emily have worked things out. I will tell you the truth, as I told the two of them. The only thing I ever wanted from Nat was this hotel."

Jarrod thought about the future of the hotel. He couldn't help the skeptical look that came over him. "Why didn't you just make him an offer?"

She shook her head. "I knew his former partner in this place, the man who died and left the whole thing to him. That man would never have sold out, and I knew I could never afford this place on my own. It took me a while to work Luther Johnson into the picture – he's my partner in this place now. Well, anyway, I - made friends with Nat, worked him down on the price and confessed everything to him and Emily yesterday and – well, you probably won't be surprised to learn that Nat wasn't even mad that I'd used him so. In fact, he congratulated me on my business sense."

Jarrod actually moaned. "You're right. That doesn't surprise me about Nat. But Emily?"

"I convinced her I was out of Nat's life," Sarah said. "I convinced the two of them that their marriage shouldn't be thrown away over me, and they actually told me that you had tried to counsel them to keep it. I guess between you and me both, they listened."

Jarrod rubbed his forehead.

"I'm a fraud, and worse," Sarah said, "but I get what I want, Mr. Barkley. Maybe I'm a little on the wrong side of the track for you, but this time I did some good, for them and for myself."

She had smiled through this whole thing. She really was pleased with herself for getting this hotel, for getting Nat Springer out of her life and back to his wife. Jarrod shook his head. "Your methods are a bit inventive. And I suppose if Nat and Emily go bad again, I'll be one of the first to hear about it, since I recommended a good lawyer to her."

"You were very patient with them," Sarah said. "Needless to say, Nat told me he had made your entire stay complimentary, and I'll go with him on that. I assume they didn't charge you for your room at the front desk."

"They didn't," Jarrod said. Then he looked carefully into Sarah's big brown eyes. "How is it a woman as sharp as you turns to the type of business you conduct out of your room over the saloon, instead of an honest business that would keep you out of all kinds of trouble?"

"A woman has to have means, Mr. Barkley," she said. "I wasn't born with a plateful of money. I had to earn it somewhere, and a dress shop wasn't going to give it to me. Maybe, if I'm lucky, that business from that other room is a business I can give up now that I'm the owner and manager of a hotel. But I know what you're thinking – hotel? What kind of hotel will it be next week?"

Jarrod nodded with a lifted eyebrow. "A legitimate question, considering the way you've made your living thus far."

Sarah Essen smiled back at him. "You'll be welcome to come and check it out anytime – first visit on me. You might be surprised at what you find."

"Yes, well, I wish you luck," Jarrod said, looking for a way to end this conversation now. "I'd say it's been a pleasure meeting you, but it's been more an adventure than a pleasure."

"You know, when you stopped by my place the other night, I wasn't expecting the man I found at the door."

Jarrod gave an uncomfortable little laugh. "I gathered."

"In a way, I was sorry," she said.

The waitress bringing his ham and eggs gave him a break to get the end of this conversation started. "Well, I'm afraid the business you run out of that room is not a business I'm often a patron of." He dug in, then he stopped and looked at her. "But if you ever need a good lawyer…"

Sarah Essen laughed. "Believe me, Mr. Barkley. I'll be coming to you a lot faster than I'll be going to Nat Springer."

Sarah got up, and Jarrod stood up as she did. He extended a hand. "Good luck with your new enterprise, Miss Essen, and thank you for whatever you did to get the Springers back together. They really are friends of mine – though sometimes I wonder why."

She took his hand. "Thank you, Mr. Barkley, for your good wishes. The next time you're in Cedar Grove, make sure you stay here. By then, who knows? I might be able to move out of 2B and renovate the upper floor into one nice, big suite of my own."

Jarrod gave another awkward smile. She wasn't through with the invitations, and he wasn't through wondering what these were invitations to.

Sarah Essen smiled a sly smile, then turned and went out of the restaurant.

Jarrod sat back down, shook his head, finished his breakfast, and left town. Happily.

The End


End file.
